The name Berkay came to England with the ancestors of the Berkay family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Berkay family lived in the county of Gloucestershire, where the family held the distinguished title of the Lords of Berkeley Castle. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.

Early Origins of the Berkay family

The surname Berkay was first found in Gloucestershire where the family name is descended from Thomas de Berkeley, Lord of Berkeley Castle, who was descended from Robert FitzHarding, a Viking of royal blood, and one of the companions at Arms of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Some of the first records of the name include: Robert de Berkeley, 3rd feudal Baron Berkeley (c.1165-1220); Thomas I de Berkeley, 4th feudal Baron Berkeley (c.1170-1243); and Maurice II de Berkeley, 5th feudal Baron Berkeley (1218-1281.) This line continued with: Thomas II de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (1245-1321); Maurice III de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (1271-1326); Thomas III de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley (1293-1361); Maurice IV de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley (1330-1368); and Thomas IV de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley (1352/53-1417.) Berkeley in Gloucestershire was the original family seat. " From the fertility of the soil, and its contiguity to the river Severn, it was always a place of considerable importance; and at a very early period it gave name to the great manor of Berkeley, which during the heptarchy was held of the crown, at £500. 17. 2. per annum, by Roger de Berkeley, a near relative of Edward the Confessor, and lord of Dursley, from whom the earliest authentic pedigree of the Berkeley family is deduced. Berkeley, notwithstanding the residence of the oldest branches of the family in their castle at Dursley, was a market-town; and had a nunnery endowed with the large manor. A few years afterwards, William the Conqueror, professing high regard for all the relatives of Edward the Confessor, granted the manor of Berkeley to Roger Berkeley, of Dursley, by whose descendants it was held till the reign of Henry II." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. The parish of Slimbridge in Gloucestershire was also an early home to the family. "The parish is bounded on the north by the Severn, and comprises by measurement 3392 acres, of which the greater part is the property of the Berkeley family. The Gloucester and Berkeley canal and the Gloucester and Bristol railroad intersect it." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. Wooton Under Edge, again in Somerset was another ancient family seat. "On the erection of the new town, a market and fair, with various municipal privileges, were granted by Henry III. to Maurice, Lord Berkeley, in 1254, which laid the foundation of its subsequent importance. During the civil war of the 17th century, a garrison was maintained here in the interest of the king." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Berkay Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Berkay are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Berkay include Berkley, Berkeley, Berkely and others.

Early Notables of the Berkay family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Maurice Berkeley of Bruton in 1530; Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley (1534-1613), an English peer and politician, Lord Lieutenant and Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire, the grandfather of George Berkeley, 8th Baron Berkeley; Richard Berkeley (1579-1661) was an English politician who sat in the... Another 169 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Berkay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Berkay family to Ireland

Some of the Berkay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.Another 165 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Berkay family to the New World and Oceana

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Berkay, or a variant listed above: John Berkley who settled in Virginia in 1622; Elizabeth Berkley and her husband settled in Virginia in 1736; Anna Berkley, her husband, and two children settled in Philadelphia in 1733..